Social Climate at the Time of John the Baptist birth, and What it Means Today

Luke 1:5-25

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.

The description of the events around the birth of John the Baptist is a prophetic image of this Christless world of today. The chart below gives a side-by-side comparison of then and now. The birth of John the Baptist happened under King Herod, who is the one who slaughtered babies in hoping to get rid of Jesus Christ. King Herod thought he would be eliminating his competition since Jesus was thought of as being a future king. Today, there is a thing in the world that wants to make the human body its possession by its power over physiology and ability to form our thoughts, emotions, feelings, and behaviors. It slaughters the births that happen through the Spirit of Christ to prevent the body from becoming the home of the Holy Spirit.

The churches of today have joined in the “community family” frame of mind which comes from humanism empowered by the mark of the beast. They have discarded the Gospel of Christ, and to their shame they are not giving birth to followers of Jesus Christ. The births that are born through Jesus Christ will happen within those who devote their body to be the home of the Holy Spirit. Today, that can be a traumatic experience as the masses who live by the mark of the beast ridicule, mock, and harass those who embrace the teachings of the Bible. As the affliction intensifies, it will be more and more troubling and frightening to choose the King of kings over the king of this world. God’s peace will be with those who embrace Jesus Christ. The followers of Jesus are those who make known the good news of the return of Jesus Christ, we are the forerunners to His second coming.

For many, it can be hard to believe that Christian births are possible in an age where a thing has power over physiology and is able to manipulate thoughts and feelings against God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. In fact, those who live by its inner presence boasts, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with it?” Revelation 13:4 But when the prophecies are being fulfilled in front of our eyes, our mouth begins to flow with words of belief and letting people know that Jesus is returning. The mark of the beast is in the world today, it exists for “42 months,” which means we are within “42 months” of Christ’s return, “…it was given authority to continue for forty-two months.” Revelation 13:5 Another prophecy, which is here today, is that global warming is a plague that ushers in the destruction of this present world system. Another prophecy, which is here today, is that of the formation of the global democracy rooted in the mark of the beast.

The followers of Jesus Christ are set apart from the Christless world, which means we don’t get out much because everyone in the communities is serving the mark of the beast, “All who dwell on the earth will worship it, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb.” Revelation 13:8 They all try to entice us to join in their worldly ways, but we stay home. It is in our privacy that we grow in Jesus Christ as the embryo of the Holy Spirit grows within us.

Social Climate at Time of John the Baptist Birth	What it Means Today
This was during the days of King Herod, who slaughtered many babies trying to stop the birth of Jesus Christ. He was not willing to share power with a soon coming King of kings.	These are times when births through the Spirit of Christ are being aborted (slaughtered) by the thing that has power over physiology to form our thoughts, emotions, feelings and behaviors. These are the days of the mark of the beast. It has made the human body its seat of government and is not willing to allow the body to be the home of the Holy Spirit.
Zacharias and Elizabeth were both from the tribe of Levi. That makes them part of the Levitical priesthood, which is where all ministers of the churches were from during that time. To be a male Levite, on top of having a wife from the tribe of Levi, was a great honor. At the same time, they were childless because she was barren. Both of them were beyond the age of having children, and not having children was a disgrace and even grounds for a divorce.	The Levitical priesthood is before the birth of Jesus Christ. The ministers of today’s churches function without the Gospel of Christ, as a type of modern-day Levites. They are not preaching and teaching the Gospel of Christ. They are barren of giving birth to followers of Jesus, which is a disgrace. Jesus is the only rightful minister over the temple of God, which is our body, but that happens only by acknowledging Jesus as the atonement for sin.
Zacharias had the duty of offering incense in the temple while the whole multitude were praying outside the temple. There were so many Levites that they were divided into sections and then given specific duties once a year for about a week at a time. During Zacharias assigned duty, an Angel appeared to him, he was troubled and became frightened	Currently, the duty of church leaders is an obligation without any expectation of really experiencing the reality of God. But those who pray within themselves as the temple of the Holy Spirit will see results. Those praying outside the realm of the temple of the Holy Spirit will not see those results. To experience the reality of God, during these days of the mark of the beast, is unexpected and surprising. As the affliction of Christians intensifies, it will be outright frightening and troubling.
An Angel came to answer Zacharias prayer to give his wife Elizabeth a son named John, he will bring joy and gladness to his parents, and many will rejoice for His birth. He will not drink wine nor strong drink, will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb, will turn many of Israel to the Lord. He will be the forerunner of Jesus Christ in the spirit of Elijah to turn the heart of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just. He will prepare people for the coming of the Lord.	There will be the faithful few who hold to the testimony of Jesus Christ to the very end of this world. God’s people suffer through the horrid global tribulation, and are faithful to testify of the coming of Jesus Christ. The Christians of today are the forerunners to His return and we work to prepare people for that day. This world is old and hardly able to bring about births in the Spirit of Christ, especially due to the presence of the mark of the beast and the power the thing has over physiology. The followers of Christ bring joy and gladness to those who brought about their birth, and many rejoice for them. They do not indulge in revelry of this world as they set themselves apart for service to Jesus Christ. These followers of Christ will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb of their conversion. People will turn to Jesus in the last days of this world. There will always be a faithful few in this world.
Zachariah couldn’t believe that he and his wife would have a child in their old age. The Angel, Gabriel, replied that he stands in the presence of the Lord as His messenger to bring him good news. Because Zacharias didn’t believe, he was muted until the prophecy took place.	It’s essential to believe that God is able to open the old and barren womb to give birth in the name of Jesus Christ. Those births can only happen through the Holy Spirit, not our own efforts. We have to devote our body as the home of the Holy Spirit and reject the thing that wants to make our body its seat of government for the mark of the beast. Unbelief causes our mouth to be sealed shut, but when we see prophecy being fulfilled in front of our eyes, we will start talking. Already we see the presence of the mark of the beast, global warming, and the formation of the global government, which are all fulfilment of prophecy. Jesus is coming.
People waited outside the temple for Zacharias and were amazed that he was in the temple for such a long time. When he came out, he couldn’t speak, and the people perceived that he saw a vision, so he motioned with his hand and remained speechless.	The followers of Jesus Christ are set apart from this world as we keep ourselves inside the temple of God. We remain devoted to the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit. There are many people outside the temple who want to know where we are. They wonder why we are not coming out to join the rest of the world. They are amazed that we remain in the Spirit of Christ for so long. When we do find ourselves among the crowds, we are silent and unable to speak about the internal blessings that we are filled with. Even then, people will perceive that we are with God, living in the presence of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ.
When Zacharias’ duty was fulfilled, he departed to his own house, and Elizabeth conceived and hid herself for five months and said, “thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among the people.”	Required duties and routines fill our life from day to day, including feeling obligated to assist in church events, going to employment, attending required social events, etc. The only time we really have to fellowship with God through Jesus Christ is at home. That is where births through the Spirit of Christ is going to happen. In this Christless, barren, and old age of a world, the Gospel is not welcomed in public places. We hide ourselves away in the privacy of our home as the birth of the embryo of the Holy Spirit begins to grow in us. It is in the privacy of our home that we shake off the Christless reproaches that we face through the day. Jesus Christ is returning to put the unbelieving world to shame, the mockers and scoffers will be put in their place as the people of God are vindicated.

Scripture Text Luke 1:5-25

⁵ There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. ⁷ But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

⁸ So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, ⁹ according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴ And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

¹⁸ And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” ¹⁹ And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. ²⁰ But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”

²¹ And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. ²² But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

²³ So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. ²⁴ Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, ²⁵ “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11